Cod Almighty | Diary
So Stevenage fans: is it your stewards right or wrong?
22 August 2017
Trentside Diary writes: "Absolutely lost for words" sums it up.
There can't be many GTFC fans who haven't heard about the appalling stewarding at Stevenage FC on Saturday and the national media have picked this up and are running with it. Female town fans had to lift their tops to show bras in full view of male stewards, fans and police. Five-year-olds were subjected to full searches. A female steward apparently refused to leave the men's toilets although there were male stewards directly outside.
It's one of those horrible stories you hear when you initially think surely not? Apparently so.
Some of the Stevenage supporters and media have been suggesting that Town fans have exaggerated and should not have gone to the media before the club had responded. Let's be straight here: this doesn't matter which club it was. No-one entering a football stadium should be treated like this.
If there is one thing that social media is good for, it is that it's harder to hide events like this. The ability of organisations to bury stories they don't like and gloss over issues they don't want to go public is greatly reduced if those affected raise this publicly. This may not be a Jimmy Savile occasion but the principle is the same. The letter from the Mariners Trust is well written. Maybe out of this we could look to join forces with other supporters' groups to challenge how we are treated.
I've seen poor stewarding and policing on many occasions but I've also seen some excellent stewards who treat fans with respect, maybe have a chat and use quiet persuasion to diffuse a situation when another action could have sparked trouble. When we enter a football ground, it's like going into a nightclub: "the management have the right to refuse entry" and stewards have the right to selectively search spectators in accordance with club policies if they are suspected of trying to take prohibited items into a stadium. On Saturday, the club policy became 'search supporters suspected of wearing a bra.' Why?
Stevenage seem to think that because there wasn't a challenge there isn't a problem. Fans were shocked to be asked, but it's not easy to question stewards because they will probably just refuse you entry.
Given recent events in the world, most fans wouldn't object to some kind of search – but shouldn't there be a level of professionalism? Asking pensioners to show their bras in a public place is bizarre. What were they suspected of? What were they smuggling in? Was there really intelligence that the club was acting on? Where was the stadium safety manager in all of this? Surely they must have given the stewards the instructions to do this? If so, is that person up to the job if they think this is acceptable?
Stewards are supposed to have, or be working towards, an NVQ level 2 Spectator Safety qualification. Are they? Were those employed on Saturday? Stewards should be given a limited time to be working towards the qualification, and if they don't get it within a year, they are out. Otherwise the requirement is not worth the paper it's written on.
Surely there should be a code of conduct, publicised to fans, for all grounds and clubs to adhere to. If a club wants to carry out the level of search we saw on Saturday then the stewards should be obliged to tell you what they are searching for, be trained in how to do it, and take you to a more private area. You should also be allowed to be accompanied if you want it. Increased stewarding is a cost to hard-up clubs, but if they are dealing with a large number of fans, then their income is increased so there is no real argument for not doing it professionally.
As for Stevenage FC, it seems to be amateur PR time. The club was very slow to respond but now claims to have informed Grimsby's supporters' liaison officer of the nature of the searches. They say these were decided after discussions with GTFC and the police. Both the SLO and the club are clear that this isn't the case.
It appears that Stevenage think it's fine to ask female fans to show their bras and to search small children. This is not a time for fans to argue behind club colours. It affects us all, particularly in the lower leagues. Some clubs feel they can treat us with contempt and get away with it. I'm beginning to wonder if they don't want female supporters or indeed away fans at all. They are happy to take our money but grudging in how they treat us. Surely clubs should be encouraging fans to attend, not driving them away.
Tonight Grimsby Town welcome Derby County for a rearranged League Cup tie. I trust Russell Slade and his squad will make sure their players are given a difficult night. To their fans we will afford the utmost courtesy and hospitality. That is how it should be.